The field of the invention generally relates to provision of public wireless access points (WAPs), and more particularly, to provision of public WAPs on mass transportation vehicles.
Many vehicles of common carriers, such as airplanes, passenger trains, buses, cruise ships, and the like, have video and/or audio entertainment systems, crew communication systems, and similar systems. For example, many commercial airplanes have individualized video and audio entertainment systems, often referred to as in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems. More recently, IFE systems have been begun offering Internet connectivity to passengers via one or more WAPs in the aircraft.
One of the problems with offering connectivity through WAPs is security. For example, passengers may use a personal electronic device (PED) or other passenger owned equipment to set up an unauthorized personal WAP, which is referred to herein in the description as a “rogue” access point. One of the difficulties with rogue access points is detection by the IFE system. Conventional detection methods involve inaccurate heuristics on monitoring network traffic, and are not always accurate.
A wireless distribution network on a vehicle includes a combination of line replaceable units (LRUs) that route data traffic and support branches for overhead, in-seat and remote crew management services. The distribution LRUs include at least one WAP, which connects wireless devices to a wireless network. Most WAPs support standard WEP and WPA encryption.